The present invention relates to a texturized cell material for confinement of concrete, asphalt, sand, soil and other earth materials. Specifically, the invention relates to a cell material having texturized surfaces on the cell walls.
A cell material used for soil confinement to provide a road base made from soils (sand, rounded rock, poorly graded aggregate, concrete and the like) has been known and used for some time. A prime example is Geoweb.TM. plastic soil confinement system, sold by Reynolds Consumer Products, Inc., P.O. Box 2399, Appleton, Wis. 54913 Geoweb.TM. cells made from plastic strips which are joined on their faces in a side by side relationship at alternating spacings so that when the strips are stretched out in a direction perpendicular to the faces of the strips, the resulting cell section is honeycomb-like in appearance, with sinusoidal or undulant shaped cells.
Voluminous reports have proved the ability of Geoweb.TM. cell material to support roadways. Geoweb.TM. cell material has also been used in applications where the cell layers are stacked on one another, such as a stepped back design for hill slope retention. Even free standing walls have been built with Geoweb cells. However, because the cells are completely enclosed on the sides, the ability of concrete and asphalt structures to withstand upward and downward pressure can be limited by the sometimes low frictional and/or adhesive forces between the fill material and the cell walls. Furthermore, gravel, soil and other earth materials can settle over a period of time, causing exposure of the uppermost portion of the cell material to traffic and sun.